Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh received the Global Women’s Leadership Award in Sydney, Australia.
The US-based ‘Global Summit of Women’ gave the controversial leader the award for her “leadership in women’s education and entrepreneurship” in Bangladesh.
She received the award from the summit’s President Irene Natividad at a gala dinner in Sydney on Friday 25 April, in the presence of more than 1,400 female leaders from around the world.
Upon receiving the award, PM Hasina said: “We have to forge a new alliance to support women and uphold their rights.
“Together, we must act on our shared culture, tradition and values to benefit millions of women in need.”
Despite winning the award, social development, wealth inequality, poverty, violence against women and political corruption within Bangladesh remain key issues to be addressed by the Hasina regime.
PM Hasina has stated that she plans to world leaders to overcome traditional gender stereotypes and reach out to marginalised and vulnerable women.
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She also stressed the need to address health issues pertaining to women to enhance their productivity, and the need for equal opportunities for women in every walk of life.
However, the Bangladeshi leader is infamously renowned for her authoritarian rule, which includes accusations of extra-judicial murder and the imprisonment of political opposition members.
PM Hasina’s ruling Awami League is an ardently secular party which has openly stated a disdain for religion in public life, namely Islam.
